Corsair

The F4U was developed in 1938 for the US Marine Corps. The first prototype XF4U-1 flew on May 29, 1940. The airplane went into production in 1942. Iterations of the design continued throughout the following years with ten variants designed and produced. VMF-512 were provided with 13 FG-1Ds and 5 F4U-1Ds. These were essentially the same design but manufactured by different companies (FG-1D being from Goodyear and F4U-1D being from Vought). The FG-1D/F4U-1D variant was designed as a fighter/bomber. As so, it featured a modified canopy, reinforced hardpoints for rocket and drop-tank carriage, and was the first variant officially cleared for routine carrier operations. In all, some 2,303 FG-1Ds and 1,675 F4U-1Ds were produced.

The plane had impressive performance specifications for the time:
Length: 33 ft. 8 in.
Wingspan: 41 ft.
Empty Weight: 8,694 lbs
Loaded Weight: 11,093 lbs
Engine: 1x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-79 “Double Wasp” supercharged, air-cooled, radial piston engine
Engine Power: 2,100 hp
Cruising Speed: 227 mph
Max Speed: 446 mph
Range: 1,015 miles
Ceiling: 41,500 ft.
Rate of Climb: 3,780 fpm initial
Armament Capabilities:
6x 0.50 caliber machine guns – 3x in each wing
4x 5-inch HVARS (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket) or 2x 1,000 lbs bombs

Here is a more detailed look at the specifications.

The carrier implementation of this aviation marvel did come with some major impediments. The long nose obstructed the pilot’s view which made it susceptible to carrier landing crashes.

Second, when the plane slowed down into the final landing phase, one of the wings would stall before the other. That was because the powerful engine and large propeller created uneven airflow over the wings, leading to stalling and unexpected rolls during landings. At one Corsair training base, MCAS Mojave, there were at least 144 Corsair training accidents. Because of these unfortunate tragedies, the Corsair earned the nickname “the Ensign Eliminator”. Takeoffs without the proper trim settings could cause torque rolls as well, with the plane rolling counter clockwise into the sea ahead of the carrier. Strict procedures for operation needed to be adhered too for safe operation. Here is the Pilot Operating Handbook for this variant of the Corsair.

Although the average number of carrier landings required for pilot qualification was eight, a Corsair pilot had to make a minimum of 20-25 before he could attain a realistic proficiency level. Takeoffs from the carrier while at sea were the source of another major problem to the Corsair pilots. At best, the top speed of the CVE would provide only 19-1/2 knots of headwind on a calm day. Under optimum takeoff conditions, the Corsair required a minimum headwind of from 20 to 26 knots; a 30-knot headwind was ideal. Unless optimum wind and speed conditions existed, a Corsair, heavily laden with bombs, rockets, armament, and fuel could not attain flying speed and would drop off the end of the flight deck into the sea ahead of the carrier. For this reason, Corsair operating on the CVEs were almost always catapulted. To quote one pilot “The H4 gave you a 4G slam and was the greatest feeling a pilot ever had, especially on a black night. You knew you were going all the way the minute you felt it.”

In comparison with the much larger and faster CVs, the Commencement Bay-class escort carriers (CVE) made a top speed of only 19 knots, and had flight decks that were only 75 feet wide and 553 feet long. The length of both Corsair models was slightly more than 33 feet and their wing span was nearly 41 feet. That left little room for error while landing on a pitching and rolling deck during gusty wind conditions.

Unfortunately, mishaps still happened.

Due to its vulnerabilities during carrier operations the US Navy initially decided to make the Corsair more of a land-based plane, which allowed it to play a greater role for US Marine Corps ground operations. The squadrons assigned to the first four Escort Carriers directed by the Marine Corps, of which VMF-512 was one, were some of the first to utilize the Corsair as a carrier based plane. In doing so they learned some real world experience found in these reports.

Even with the design and carrier based operational challenges, the F4U was deemed to be the best close air support fighter/bomber for the Marines.

See the Operations page for more details on the events during training and deployment. To see actual color film of the training and operations of the Corsair on these four CVE carriers, see the YouTube channel “WW2 Marine Carrier Aviation” or “@VMTB143Mike”.

Click here for a detailed photo image gallery of the aircraft type.

Here is a Gallery of the nose art of planes in VMF-512.

Here is a Gallery of the planes of VMF-512.